River trips inherently involve getting wet. And then getting dry, and getting wet again. Throughout the day. So what you wear is critical to your comfort level throughout the day. And that's where DRY DUDZ come into play.
My typical paddling wear involves either a swimsuit or a pair of shorts. DRY DUDZ evolves these a bit by replacing the usual mesh liner (which can be extremely loose fitting) with a stretchy DD Quick Dry wikTec fabric liner short that you wear beneath a pair of polyester boardshorts. The combination of the two resolves the problem of a too-loose mesh liner and offers a more stylish appearance, one that's extremely quick drying.
The company claims the liner shorts dry more quickly than a somewhat similar pair of shorts that utilize a greater percentage of Spandex through a waffle-weave that pulls moisture away from your body and improves ventilation to help with drying and comfort. And the fabrics are treated with an antibacterial coating to fight odors that might arise during long trips.
To prevent the boardshorts and the liner from going different ways, the company developed what it calls a "Quick Mount System" in which a Velcro tab on the liners fits into a slot in the back of the boardshorts' waist band.
A recent four-day trip down the Green River through Dinosaur National Monument provided a perfect opportunity to field test DRY DUDZ. They performed as advertised, providing a quick drying and extremely comfortable fit throughout the trip.
That said, there are a couple of issues you might have with these shorts. One is that they won't comfortably fit large girths, say anything over 35 or 36 inches. The other is their cost: $95 for a pair of men's, and $85 for the women's version.
And if you like pockets, these will take some getting used to. There's a small zippered pocket on the left side good for holding Chapstick or some other small item, and a small back pocket that closes with Velcro. And that's it.
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Comments
I have not tried the DryDudz (DD), but have tried a board short that supposedly did not absorb water. I found that fabric to be exceptionally cold to wear out of the water, so have stopped wearing it. I find the most uncomfortable thing about swim-wear is the wet-crotch and waistband and I don't really see the DD design eliminating that with two layers of waistband, less air-flow and material snug against the skin. I suspect the drying capacity is limited by the humidity in the air. In NZ the humidity is typically 70%-80% rising to 100% on a clear evening, so the liklihood of drying is very limited without airflow.
To the people who have their own pool at home, there is no need to wear swim-wear at all, so the DD are really for public use. I can see where a job involves wet-wear all day, then even a slight improvement would be appreciated. I cannot see that the DD design would be comfortable to wear for a full day in and out of the water in our climate. The ideal would be a mesh liner that has some support (if required) and multiple layers of highly breathable fabrics over it. Airflow is the key to drying. This new design could have a couple of patches in high wear areas if shown to be required or the outer mesh could be a robust with a high resistance to wear, as it is not against the skin, so soft-feel would not be required. I believe three layers of fabric would provide enough modesty.
There are microfibre fabrics that do not absorb water and stay dry. As seen on "Invisible Worlds" series by Richard Hammond's BBC One series in 2010. Perhaps these would be suitable for swimwear? I believe a minimal waistband that absorbs zero water, yet breathes sufficiently to not sweat against the skin or trap water s required. Double waistbands seem counter to this.
Just my thoughts, but pleased that Kurt Repanshek found these to be an improvement. In the same circumstances, you may too.